Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime
by AzaleaDatura
Summary: After the Guv is taken hostage how is CID being run? This story has been reloaded. No longer a oneshot. AU
1. Learning

I have newly uploaded this after I noticed some mistakes. This is also no longer a one shot.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Azalea-Datura

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**Chapter One: Learning **

The room was silent. Alex reeled into the nearest table as the hand slapped her hard across the face. Her tears didn't stop in fact she found that they had intensified. She felt Ray grab her to stop her from falling to the floor. The door of CID opened with a decisive 'bang' and in strolled DCI Jackson. He had been passing and heard a ruckus; this wasn't unusual for CID but when it suddenly stopped and turned into a deadly silence he knew something was wrong.

"Ben," Alex cried releasing Ray and throwing herself at the superior officer. 'Ben' didn't seem to mind.

"Lex," he replied pulling her towards him, and as he did so he saw the large red hand mark on her left cheek, "who did this to you?"

Alex didn't answer but wrenched herself from his grip and ran, stumbling into the corridor.

"Grainger-" Jackson started.

"Already on my way, sir," Shaz called as she hurried after the DI. Chris followed her, in an obvious attempt to leave the tension-filled room.

Jackson then turned to Ray, "Sergeant could you please tell me what the hell just happened?"

"I think you had better ask acting DCI Marks, sir" Ray answered respectively while underneath he bubbled with anger.

"Marks, tell me what happened," it was not a question, and he and the acting DCI entered the office.

"Well I was just explaining why I am currently in charge of CID, sir, and that woman, who had obviously been listening at the door, barge in here crying and screaming, I tried to calm her down."

"By hitting her," Jackson asked.

"She was very upset, sir."

"So I have heard but there are other ways of calming people down. Didn't you think that she might have a reason."

"What possible reason would she have for being that upset, sir?"

"Well Marks you had just said that her commanding officer had been taken hostage."

"Superior officer, sir?"

"'That woman' as you so kindly called her Marks is DI Alex Drake; the only female DI in the Met. But I still don't understand why you struck her."

"She was very upset, sir."

"If I was in her situation I would be 'very upset' too. But at the moment I am wondering what punishment I should give you for not only striking a fellow officer but a woman. I would give you a disciplinary, but I believe a greater punishment would I believe would be to let her fiancé deal with you."

"Her fiancé, sir," Marks repeated, a little worried.

"Yes, Marks, her fiancé," Jackson said as he left the office but he turned back at the last moment poking his head through the office to say one more sentence before turning to Ray's desk and then continuing on his search for the distraught DI.

Marks was left standing in another man's office, with one thought in mind after that final comment and that was- _Shit!_

DCI Jackson's earth-shattering last sentence had been, "Her fiancé Marks, you're standing in his office."


	2. This is NOT your office!

This was originally a one-shot but after many sleepless nights due to my insomnia I found that this story had more potential than many of my others. Also I was feeling the strain of A2A withdrawal, so thus the second chapter was born.

Disclaimer: As always, nothing belongs to me. A-D

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**Chapter Two: "This is NOT your office…!"**

The investigation that followed the news of the hostage situation was a brilliantly planned as the invention of the chocolate fireguard. Acting DCI Marks was definitely not the most intelligent of the CID department, and was indeed so bad at his job that even Ray and Chris told him his plan was "Utter bollocks."

Even after many gentle pushings by their temporary DCI, CID still refused him the respectful and loyal "Guv". Alex hardly acknowledged his presence unless they were discussing police business, and it was starting that other officers seemed to be taking the orders from the "Boss" before that of her superior officer and Marks was not going to stand for it for much longer.

"Drake," he called, "A word. My…err this office. Now."

She swayed her way over to the office ignoring the smirk that was on Ray's face, and slamming the door behind her. Alex had no respect for the man who sat in Gene's seat and made no attempt to hide it as she turned to him.

"Yes?" she asked roughly.

"DI Drake, I am a superior officer," he said in clipped tones.

"What is it you want," she paused for a second loner than was respectful before adding, "sir."

"Well other than your wilful disrespectful for me as your senior officer, and using the members of _my _team for your fanciful errands-"

Alex cut across him with such a force that it was almost a physical presence, "Well, I wouldn't have to send the others out if you were doing your _job _properly."

"I beg your pardon!" Marks exclaimed, "I think you will find that the first day of investigation is always the hardest, DI Drake, and I would have your support for my plans."

"You see I would … sir," she replied, "if I didn't think your plans were flawed, callous and completely wrong."

"Well, erm, yes," he answered, "as much as I would love to discuss any plan ideas you have, now is really not the-"

"You really are a spineless bastard, aren't you?" she said, quietly, relishing the opportunity to tell him exactly how she felt.

"Drake. I will not be spoken to like that!" Marks almost shouted.

"I will talk to you however I like."

"Then I will take you off the case and see that you are suspending for verbal assault of a senior officer."

"Then I shall see you suspended and under investigation for the physical assault of a fellow officer," Alex said. Marks face went white and his eyes widened, and she knew that she had won. "Well if that is all?" and she moved to leave the office. She had managed to open the door when he finally found his voice.

"No, Drake that is not all," Marks said.

"What is it now?" she exclaimed, in a bored tone.

"This," he said, placing the offending item on the desk as quickly as possible. "I take it they are yours."

"Yes," she replied dangerously, "what were you doing in the second drawer of the desk?"

"This is my office and I can-"

"This is NOT your office, and you and no right to go through any of the drawers," she shouted, "and anyway they were locked!"

"This is MY office Drake and once you learn to see that the better it will be for everyone," he replied, in an equally loud tone, "and for your information this drawer was not locked. The big question is _why_ is _your _underwear, in my office?!?"

"It is NOT YOUR office," Alex shouted, "and the sooner that you remember that the better it will be for you, _acting DCI _Marks!"

"And your underwear?" he replied smugly.

"I am sure that DCI Jackson told you that this is my fiancé's office, of course my clothes are in here!"

"Yes," he said, in his smug little tone, "but surely that insinuates that things happen in this department that should not."

"Of course," Alex answered, sarcasm laced in every word, "Gene and I often shagged at work, especially on that chair because of our pent up sexual tension! For fuck's sake, Marks use your brain!"

"Your underwear is decisive proof that these liaisons occurred," he continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"If you had bothered to check, you would have noticed that they are a clean pair," she spat, not even caring about her own embarrassment.

Marks went an amazing shade of purple before saying, "Well I think that it would be proof to a lot of people that things occurred if you need your DCI to have clean underwear."

Alex wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug little smirk off Marks' face. "And I think that you will find that I have a least four people you know that after a certain incident in which a few officers, myself included, were doused to at least waist height in some very dirty water, we all decided that extra clothes at work would be better."

"But that still does not account for why your underwear is in my desk and not in your locker."

"My locker was broken into a few weeks ago, and so I shared with Gene. Lockers, as you should well know are not meant for two people's clothes. My knickers and his shirts are kept in _his _desk."

Alex knew that this wasn't completely accurate, but she did know that she would have a least half a dozen officers to back up her story if she wanted them to. Marks knew this too and understood that he has lost this battle.

"Can I have my knickers then?" she asked, a slight smile on her face now, just as his had disappeared.

"Yes, get out of this office, now!" Marks nearly shouted, knowing that the longer she stayed the bigger his humiliation would be.

Picking up her knickers off the desk and putting them in her pocket she left the office, a large satisfied grin edging its way onto her face.

When she had closed the office door behind her, she realised that there was complete and utter silence in the room. Shaz gave her a smile, Chris a thumbs-up while Ray said, "That was abso-fucking-lutely brilliant Boss. If not exactly true."

Alex turned red and remembered that the door hadn't been shut for the whole conversation, they had all heard about her knickers tirade. "Thanks Ray, everybody," she answered shyly.

"What you shy for Boss, everyone knows that you and the Guv have shagged on that chair, more then once," Ray said in his usual _subtle _way.

"Oh really," Alex replied, embarrassment gone in the realisation that she and Gene had never been exactly secretive about their _liaisons_, "well then everybody would be wrong. Brilliant idea though, I'll remember that."

"But," spluttered Chris, while Ray looked shocked.

"Never the chair, boys, always the desk." Alex say down at her desk, thinking on how the team had become her family, and how much they all needed back their leader, especially her, as the room shook with raucous laughter.


	3. You are armed, aren't you… sir?

Disclaimer: As always nothing belongs to me!

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**Chapter Three: "You are armed, aren't you… sir?"**

Ray's car screeched yet again as the driver did another hard handbrake turn in the hurry to reach their destination. "Boss, I 'ave never seen you drive like this before," the car's owner stated, and they again speeded along a straight road.

"Well I have never needed to get somewhere like this, have I?" Alex replied as she changed gear. She wished she had Gene's Audi which was powerful in both engine and physical presence but Ray's Ford would have to do.

"Drake, slow down!" Marks shouted, white in the face, "And for Heaven's sake put a seatbelt on if you insist on driving like a lunatic!"

"Are you a vicar or a police officer?" Alex exclaimed, "And don't tell me how to drive, seeing as you can't… sir."

Ray and Chris sniggered from the backseat and Alex gave them a grin in the rear-mirror. By the time Alex slammed the brakes on to show their arrival Marks was almost a shivering wreck.

"I think a careful and pre-considered plan of action should be taken," Marks said, "These people might be armed."

No one listened to his idea, and Alex heard Chris mutter, "We are armed too, what a utter twonk." And for once Ray had no choice but to agree with him.

"You are armed, aren't you…sir?" the sergeant asked, not sounding at all worried about the answer.

"I don't have a gun, as I believe a no casualty situation can still be achieved," he replied.

"Idiot," Ray said quietly.

"What did you just say sergeant?" Marks exclaimed.

"He said you're an idiot and I have to agree," Alex said, "and you're loudness has just taken away any form of surprise we had. You wait by the car."

"You cannot order me what to do!"

"You have come to a hostage situation without being armed knowing that the scum in there most likely has some sort of weapon!"

"I thought that-"

"Shut up and stay by the car while Ray, Chris and I do some real policing!"

And with that Alex and the others left their complaining superior officer by the car as they made their way towards their target.

"For a moment there, Bo- Ma'am I thought you were gonna agree with him, seeing as you are a, er…, a psychologist thing," Chris said, after a minute's silence.

"I might be a psychologist," Alex said, "and I might know how to defuse a hostage situation using words, but when some bastards take the Guv, then I take a leaf out of his book and use physical violence and threat to get him back."

They entered the building, in which one of the snouts had told them Gene might have been taken to, with extreme caution; any problems now and their Guv might be in immediate danger. They had to be careful! With their guns before them they crept along corridors and with Chris trying hard not to make a sound they passed almost silently through the ground floor to the one above.

This floor was mainly old offices and so to save time Alex had them split up and check in different directions. She didn't know what was happening to Gene but the longer they took to find him the less his chance of survival became. Trying to forget this thought Alex moved along the right corridor in a hurried manner, anticipation building before each door, and despair as each revealed an empty room. She had reached nearly halfway down the corridor when she heard Ray calling her. "Boss!"

She ran towards his voice, trying to forget the tone of concern he had used. Racing along her passage and turning to the left she was so caught up in Ray's discovery that she almost knocked Chris to the floor as he too made his way to Ray's shouting. Mumbling an apology, but not stopping to see if he heard or was following, she continued on her path and if Ray hadn't of stuck his head out of a door she would have flown right past it. As it was she did an emergency stop and turned to the sergeant. "Ray, what… where…?"she asked in a flustered voice.

"Ma'am", he replied, "you have got to be ready to enter. He's in a bit of a state."

Ray had her full attention, especially since it was the first time he had ever called her 'Ma'am', but as soon as the words "He's in…" were out of his mouth, Alex had stepped past him and into the office. Even in the dingy light she could clearly she the man in front of her.

Gene was propped against a wall unmoving. She sprinted over to him, dropped to the floor next to him and quickly checked his pulse. She almost sighed with relief when she felt the strong beat under her fingers. Knowing that he was only unconscious now, she examined the wounds on her fiancé's body.

Gene was definitely battered and bruised and although Alex had seen him in a worse state, these still made her feel nauseous. His face was purple and yellow and small cuts and scraps covered most of his face, but it was the cut just under the right side of his chin that worried her the most. From the look of it, it was deep and had been bleeding profusely; it was certainly going to scar. She could almost hear his what his reply would be when he found this out, and was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear a rasping, "Bols…", until Chris and Ray exclaimed joyfully, "Guv!"

Alex turned her head so quickly she felt dizzy but this was nothing, when she saw Gene's bright eyes staring at her. "Gene," she said, and burst into tears. Even though she knew it hurt him, he pulled her to him and held her to she stopped.

"So," he asked quietly wincing, "who 'as been in charge while I was away?"

"Technically it was the Boss," Ray replied.

"Technically?" Gene said dangerously.

Alex didn't want this conversation right now and stood up, "It doesn't matter now, all that matters is that we get you to the nearest hospital. Where's the Quattro?"

"Round the back. The bastard scum drove it here. If there scratched my car I'll bloody kill them with my bare hands!" he stated.

Alex laughed, "You've got the keys though?"

"Yeah. Convinced 'em might not be the best idea riding around in a car which there is only one of in London. In the end they agreed and chucked me the keys telling to drive myself home. Bastards!"

"Come on then, lets get you to the nearest A and E. Chris, Ray help him," Alex said.

The immediate reply was indignant, "I am not going to bloody 'ospital, and I do not need those two twonks' help!"

"Whether or not you like it you are going to hospital, and you obviously do need help otherwise you would have already left!"

"Fine. Fine. But anyone finds out and I'll bloody murder the lot of yeh. Got it?" Gene stated, viciously.

There was a mumbled "Yes Guv" and Alex smiled triumphantly as he got to his feet with help. Giving Ray's keys to Chris and taking his place holding up Gene she said, "Drive his Twatness back to the station. Do not tell him where Ray and I are, and definitely do not tell him we've got the Guv. I want to shock the fucking bastard!"

Chris shot off, while Ray and Alex supported Gene on his way to the lift and out the back to the legendary Audi Quattro. Gene automatically moved towards the driving seat, but Alex pushed him to the passenger side. "You can't drive if you haven't got the keys!" Gene stated as Ray tried to seat him, and Alex moved to the right side of the car.

"Good thing I've got them then isn't it?" She said, dangling them from her finger.

"'Ow the hell did you get them?!?"

"Swiped them from your pocket as I helped you, didn't I."

"Scheming mare!"

"Get in the car, Gene."

"Fine," and finally he allowed himself to be put in the passenger side, when the door shut and Ray moved round to climb in behind the driver's seat, he gave Alex a smile of appreciation. When she sat down in the car, Gene was still moaning about car abuse. She switched on the engine, and spent a second caressing the power she could feel under her fingertips.

"If you love the car so much Bols, why don't you marry it instead."

"You know I might just do that," she said, as she pulled away, "it doesn't smoke, drink and it isn't vulgar or rude. She smiled at the look of offence that flickered across his face for a second.

"Yeah maybe, but I bet I'm better in bed," he answered, and she could feel the smirk on his face, and Ray's cough of laughter from the back seat made her twist her lip in a smirk of her own.

"Maybe," she replied neutrally, "but I wouldn't yet would I? I mean bed is only where we sleep. The Quattro might be better there than you."

Ray actually laughed now, and she knew that Gene especially needed some dignity left and continued, "But it doesn't beat you anywhere else I know of."

Ray stopped laughing and started choking as Gene replied, "What like the Station showers for example?"


End file.
